He motioned for Lilith to sit on athreadbare settee, so she sat down in silence and studied Percy for a fewmoments. He was deep in thought.
“I had a most illuminating discussionwith your Professor,” he said at last. “It seems I really have beentransported into to a future world I know nothing about. I have seen manystrange sights. Your world confuses and frightens me.”
“I can show you everything you need toknow. I want to be with you. I thought I loved Ophelia but really I love you!”
“Dear lady Lilith, you don’t know whatyou are saying.”
“But I do! Arddhus are so cool.All my clothes are very Dark Pagan. I’ve got the jewellery and everything.”
“What nonsense you speak. YourProfessor has explained everything. Brimstone Manor is no longer mine, my worldhas long gone and poor Rowena is lost to me forever. But your Professor has promisedto go and find out what happened to Rowena. I await here for her return.”
“But I’ve got Rowena’s journal! I cantell you everything you need to know. I am sure she’s written it all down!”
Lord Percy gazed into the fire, lostin thought. “How I miss dear Rowena. Our courtship was a blissful time of happyconversation, long country walks and dancing at the local balls, tainted onlyby the poignant knowledge of her illness. That is what I called it because Iwas determined to find a cure through the wonders of science. Some of myfriends were learned men. They took me to Middenmere where I met a great man,Doctor William Whitebeam, a Fellow of the Royal Society and leader in the fieldof occult chemistry. His work was in understanding how mumbled ancient cursescombined with spilled and tasted blood could bring about such astoundingmetabolic and mental changes. I poured my fortune into helping him achieve hisnoble aim.”
“What happened?”
“I vowed to Rowena that I would bringan end to her suffering and proposed.”
Lilith thought this was the mostromantic thing she’d ever heard. “How dashing, even knowing she was so ill youstill wanted to marry her?”
“Rowena accepted my hand and we werebetrothed that spring at Saint Bede’s church in Underwood. All of the finestfamilies in the district turned out and it was a glorious day. Rowena’s dresswas long sleeved with white gloves and a heavy veil to ensure there was nochance of burning. Her illness was a secret to everyone except me and herparents.” Lord Percy paused, his brow furrowing. “But that night in our weddingbed, a most frightful thing – I am afraid Rowena heard the dreaded voice and iturged an attack upon me. In the heat of passion that is exactly what she did,mumbling the strangest of curses and most vile imprecations. This most wretchedof diseases was passed on to me. I could now see the Bestia Marcam, theBeast Mark as Doctor Whitebeam calls this phenomenon, the flaming yellow eyesand halo of light. But to me she was still beautiful.”
“I see,” said Lilith. “So that’s howyou became Arddhu.”
“I was head of the UltoriusApostles and our noble society had already slain a number of the mosttroublesome warlocks in Barleybrook. How could the leader of such anorganisation be in the grip of the warlock’s curse and have a cursed bride?”
“What did you do?”
“I insisted the Good Doctor move intoBrimstone Manor, so I could see him each day and be at his side when a cure wasfound. He produced a concoction called Vita Dantis. This was not a curebut stopped the craving for blood, the tormenting voice and the burning of skinby sunlight. It was a great breakthrough.”
“That’s the stuff Professor Jarethgave you at the church.”
“My time spent with Rowena hadtempered my lust for vengeance. And as I was now one of the victims myself Ifelt pity for their plight. After much deliberation, I told the Apostleseverything. I said we could use the Good Doctor’s elixir to help thosesuffering the warlock’s curse live in society without harming anyone.”
“I see.”
“I am afraid they didn’t agree and Ibecame their next victim.”
Lilith watched Lord Percy put adelicate hand to his brow. She gazed at his pale high cheek boned face, glowingby the firelight, at his long black hair and the purple velvet jacket she’dgiven him. She thought Arddhu were cool before, but after meeting Lord Percyproperly she now thought they were super cool. She longed to take Rowena’splace. How could any future boyfriend she’d ever meet possibly compare withLord Percy? And turning Arddhu would be the ultimate act of rebellion againsther stupid stuck up parents.
“I want you to take me,” she blurtedawkwardly.
Lord Percy looked a little impatient.“Have you not paid heed to a word I said? You need to leave this place beforeyou suffer like myself and dear sweet Rowena have suffered.”
“I don’t care about that.”
Lord Percy looked in dismay at theyoung woman who gazed at him adoringly and wondered why he was trying to savethis stupid girl. Until the Good Doctor had invented Vita Dantis it wasRowena that made him strong, made him feed on farm animals and not give in tothe voice in their heads, the insistence voice of evil. But Rowena was nothere...
“Do not ask such a thing!”
“But why did you make Claude bring mehere if not to make me like you?”
“That was another part of me – and Ideny its existence!”
Lord Percy felt strange. He reacheddown and picked up the the black bag the Professor had given him. He had totake some more Vita Danits before it was too late. He pulled out the HexBox and switched it on, then took out the small case, opened it and took out athin glass phial.
“What are you doing? Don’t be acoward. Embrace it!” Lilith got up and stood over Lord Percy. “I want to be afreak! Please!”
Percy tipped the clear liquid into thebowl in the top of the Hex Box, then with trembling hand tried to attach theneedle to the end of the long plastic tube.
He stopped his breath and feltpetrified with fear when a soft whispered voice echoed inside
